THE 2021 GRAND NATIONAL RUNNERS & ODDS

Every year a maximum of 40 runners line up at the start of the Aintree Grand National and 600 million people worldwide tune in to watch them tackle the 30 notoriously difficult fences in a bid to put themselves into the history books. But how do those particular runners and riders make it to Grand National day?

A horse will be entered into the Grand National if it meets the minimum criteria for qualification and the owner and trainer feel that their horse is capable of handling the race. Not all horses are suited to the long Aintree course or have the necessary jumping ability. Even if a horse gets entered that doesn’t guarantee a place at the starting line as frequently over 100 get entered but there is a maximum field of just 40 for the race.

The race is open to horses aged seven and upwards that have been placed first, second, third or fourth in a chase of three miles or more and who are allotted a rating of at least 125 by the BHA Handicapper.

The entry date for the race is always at the end of January, with the names and numbers announced by the BHA (British Horseracing Authority) the following day. In 2020 there were 105 entries however the race was subsequently cancelled and did not go ahead.  112 were entered in 2019 and in 2018 there were 105 entries. There were 110 entries in 2017, 2016 had 126 entries, an increase of 28 on the 98 entered in 2015.

The BHA Head Of Handicapping then takes the list of entries and frames the weights. In other words, he decides which runners will carry the heaviest weights and which will carry the least. The handicap system is designed to give every horse a fair chance of winning the race, good horses will carry more weight than those perceived to have less ability.

The maximum weight any horse can carry in the Grand National will be 11st 10lbs and the minimum is 10st. Each runner’s weight will be largely determined by their OR (Official Rating) and the higher the rating, the higher the weight. Although the Grand National is the only race in Britain in which the Handicapper can ignoring the official ratings if he wishes, often to the consternation of owners and trainers.

Horses are then put in descending order from the highest to the lowest weighted and that also determines their race number. The top-weighted horse is number one, second heaviest weighted horse is number two and so on.

The weights are then announced, and from then on a series of ‘Declaration Stages’ or ‘Forfeit Stages’ take place. At each of these stages, potential Grand National Runners can be withdrawn from the proceedings by their trainers and as they are removed and the entries get whittled down so even horses that have not initially made the Top 40 may now do so as entries above them are taken out. In 2019 the top weighted horse was Bristol De Mai but he was then withdrawn leaving Anibale Fly to carry 11-10.

The very last declaration stage takes place at 10am on the Thursday immediately before Grand National day. This is the point where the top 40 Grand National runners will be near completion along with four additional reserves.

The following day, Friday, by 1pm any non-runners must be declared and be replaced by one of the four reserves. This is also the point where any horses who were previously allocated weights of less than 10st will have their weight increased to meet requirements.

Three runners were withdrawn at this stage in 2018 and replaced with reserves. However, on the morning of the National two more were taken out due to the heavy ground. This resulted in 38 declared Grand National runners who lined up.

In 2019, no runners were withdrawn at the very final stage and 40 runners ran. Unfortunately in 2020, the race was cancelled and did not go ahead.

There has to be a Top Weight for the Grand National and that runner will always carry 11st 10lbs. For 2020 the honour went to two runners, both trained by Gordon Elliott. They were Delta Work and Tiger Roll.

Both of these terrific runners are owned by Gigginstown and given how highly rated they are, it really was no surprise that the BHA Handicapper saw fit to allocate them 11-10 each.

It didn’t take long for the owners to earmark the Cheltenham Gold Cup for Delta Work with little chance that he would run at Aintree. As such, it came as no surprise that following the first scratching stage, Delta Work was withdrawn. That left Tiger Roll as the only top-weighted runner for the 2020 Grand National.

Tiger Roll then headed to the Cheltenham Festival where he was bidding to win his third consecutive Glenfarclas Chase. The victory was not to be and despite a very impressive run, he was outpaced by the JP McManus owned Easysland and had to settle for second place.

That is where his season ended as the Grand National was then cancelled in 2020. In order to give fans something to cheer about, the Virtual Grand National was then run on the same day. With millions tuning in at home and all betting profits going to NHS Charities, it was deemed a huge success. Though nothing can quite make up for the real thing.

Top weight is a tough ask for any horse. In fact, the last horse to win on top weight was Red Rum. Many Clouds won in 2015 carrying 11-09 so while it’s not an impossible task, it is difficult.

So now we wait for the list of Grand National 2021 entries and whether or not Tiger Roll will return to claim a third crown remains to be seen.

It should come as no surprise that on the back of winning two consecutive Grand Nationals, that Tiger Roll was the Grand National favourite.

He did experience a minor injury early in the season and missed a few of his prep races before heading to the Cheltenham Festival. Bidding for a fifth festival win and a third in the Glenfarclas Chase he went off as joint-favorite with Easysland. The victory was not to be and connections had to settle for second place.

That didn’t dent his odds for the National and he remained the favourite right up to the point when the race was ultimately cancelled in 2020.

Other notable entries that vied for favouritism included Any Second Now from trainer Ted Walsh and Burrows Saint from trainer Willie Mullins. Both gained momentum in the betting markets with odds as low as 12/1.

Grand National 2021 odds will continue to change as the weeks leading up to the race produce good runs from potential runners. As the list of entries gets whittled down, some will get withdrawn while others will boost their claims.

Who will eventually go off as the 2021 Grand National favourite remains to be seen.

The criteria for professional or amateur jockeys wanting to take part in the race are very specific. They must have ridden not less than 15 winners in chases or hurdle races under the Rules of Racing and/or the Rules of the Irish National Hunt Committee and ridden not less than 10 of these winners in chases.

A champion jockey like A.P. McCoy who primarily rode horses for super owner J.P. McManus had his pick of horses in the race before he retired. Top jockey Barry Geraghty is now the retained rider for McManus. The likes of Davy Russell and Richard Johnson are other top jockeys who can often choose their rides and odds will tumble on any horses chosen by the pair.

Amateur jockeys are now a rarity in the Grand National compared with races early days. Sam Waley-Cohen is probably the most famous amateur rider in recent years and he enjoys a record over the Aintree fences which is the envy of many a professional.

Other jockeys will usually ride for the yards that retain them or a trainer will engage their services just for this race. In recent years a number of high profile jockeys have missed the race due to injuries picked up at the Cheltenham festival which is the last major National Hunt meeting before Aintree. In 2018, Ruby Walsh suffered a leg fracture and Leighton Aspell suffered a neck injury that put them out of contention for the Grand National.

Don’t be put off backing a less well-known jockey or even one who has never ridden the course before. In 2013 jockey Ryan Mania won the race at his first attempt. And David Mullins did the same thing on Rule The World in 2016!

In 2018 we saw a number of jockeys making their debut. They included James Bowen, Bryony Frost, Sam Coltherd and Rachael Blackmore. Bryony Frost was the best finisher, getting Milansbar to fifth place.

In the Grand National 2019, Lizzie Kelly made her debut on Tea For Two.